


Together Or Not At All

by Hollenka99



Series: TLoJJ-Verse [9]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Arguing, Blood, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Conscription, Gen, War, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 18:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21396769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hollenka99/pseuds/Hollenka99
Summary: "We'll go together. You've got your draft and I'll volunteer."
Series: TLoJJ-Verse [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1247246
Kudos: 5





	Together Or Not At All

**Author's Note:**

> Or, 'Henry tells his little brother he's with him to the end of the line and keeps his promise'.

October 1942

Despite what Henry currently believed, the purpose of this visit wasn't a happy one. Theodore was not here to talk about the upcoming holiday season or being Henry's best man. Does he want something to drink? Sure, why not. Henry had some chocolate lying around, did he want a piece? Okay, whatever, so long as they could just sit down and talk for a moment. This catches Henry's attention.

"What's wrong?" He places the coffee in front of Theodore.  
Let's get this over with. "They called March 2nd."  
"Right." His brother stills. "Why did you come all this way to tell me about getting drafted? Tell them you're a conscientious objector on grounds of belief."  
"How can I turn around and say I'm exempt because I'm a Christian when the majority of the country is Christian? Riddle me that."  
"Theodore, we're not Christians. We are Catholics. The difference is that we have a Catechism that empathises the need to avoid war and violence at all cost. Cite the fifth commandment and then possibly the fourth, see what they say. Pops made his views on the last war abundantly clear so they can't argue that point."  
"Neither of us are Pops."  
"No, but if you just listened to me." Henry growls while rifling through his drawers. "The Civilian Public Service was made for people like us who want as little to do with the war as possible, without being arrested."

"Why did you stockpile all this information?"  
"It's good to know where the hell you stand in all this. I turned 18 during peacetime. Europe was on edge and people could probably tell something was going to happen soon but it was still peacetime. But you," Henry shifts through papers, examining a document every few seconds to check if it was what he was searching for. "You turned 18 when we were still in peacetime but the war was in full swing for Europe."  
"Well, now I'm 20."  
"Exactly, the worst age to be. 20 is the first age they choose from. I've been worried this entire year that this would happen."  
After being handed informative documents, Theodore skims through them. "I've heard things about this. Don't they put you in the care of a parish and leave you to get on with it?"  
"No idea. Likely, though. Helping to manage to farms sounds better than putting yourself in danger, don't you think?"  
"It feels like cheating."  
"Cheating what? The government made accommodations for men who can't fight because of their beliefs. Taking advantage of those options isn't wrong. What would rather happen, get imprisoned for being a draft dodger?"  
"No! Of course not. I would rather not have my name down at all. But it's not like I had a choice. And don't act like you're not at risk yourself. You were forced the same as I was."

Henry glowers at this. They jointly stew in their anger, not allowing themselves to make eye contact. It is Henry who shatters the silence with an outburst of despair.

"I refuse to be Pops in this situation, Theodore. I can't... I- I refuse!"  
"You don't have to be anyone but yourself."  
"Do you have any idea how the feud between him and Uncle Harvey affected him? He never got to resolve it."  
"I thought that extended way beyond 1914."  
"Yes. Back to end of last century. That's not the point. I don't want history to repeat itself."  
"Then don't cut me out. It's as simple as that."  
"Don't get smart with me." Henry's hands slam onto the table. Some coffee leaps out. "Damn it. Give me a minute."

Like that, Henry disappears to another room of his apartment. It is minutes before he returns to wipe the spilled liquid. No words transpire between them until he is done. It is firm resolve that the older of the two looks at his brother.

"We'll go together. You've got your draft and I'll volunteer."  
"No, that's ridiculous."  
"Can't beat them? Join them. You're an adult now and I can't tell you what to do."  
"What about Elsie? Running off to fight is hardly fair on her."  
"No, it's not." Something in his brother's expression tells Theodore it's not the only thing he finds unfair in this situation.

The fury dissipates from Henry gradually. When it has been completely depleted, he extends a hand. 

"If you're going out there, I've got to make sure you don't do anything stupid and get hurt. Do we have a deal?"  
"...I guess. If this is the compromise we're coming to, then at least we've got a compromise."  
"Exactly. But you have to promise you'll have my back too."  
"Do you have to ask?"

Finally, a smile finds its way to the room.

September 1943

Theodore watched from a distance as Henry treated a little girl's shrapnel wound. He was gentle and spoke to her in a way that caused her to smile between the wincing and flinching. What was more impressive was that he was doing all this in Italian. The girl summons her mother and supposedly instructs her to retrieve a flower.

"Grazie!" Henry beams as the little girl presents it to him.

Theodore can't wait to get back to the States. He knows for a fact that Henry will be a fit father once he's able to spend time with Grace. She increasingly crept up in conversations with him over the past four months. When he'd discovered she could smile and laugh now? Theodore hadn't heard the end of it for at least a week. God knows how long it was going to take for him to stop telling 'Uncle Theodore' all about his niece.

"Nice flower." Theodore comments as they walk back to base.  
"I let it slip I just had my birthday. She wanted to give me a birthday present as a thank you."  
"Maybe Grace will pick flowers for you in a couple years."  
"Oh, you think? That would be great."

A laugh accompanies an eye roll. "Out of curiousity, since when have you been able to speak Italian?"  
"Got this buddy back home called Marco. You do the math."  
"And what, you just decided to add learning a new language to all the 1000 other things they made you do?"  
Henry chuckles. "A bunch of societies I was interested in clashed with my classes. The opportunity was there so I took it."  
"Well, at least you've got a reason to use it now. If you worked in a place like New York, you could surprise a few patients."  
"Also the North End of Boston."  
"I'm sure Grace will enjoy being taught by you."  
Henry's smile returns. "Ha, hopefully. Honestly, I'm conversational at-" It vanishes. "Round here!" Theodore is pulled around the corner of the nearest building before he can even register the command.  
"Someone out there?" He pokes his head to get a better view of the street.  
"I could've sworn I heard something." The older brother frowns. "This isn't the best place to chat. If you still want to badger me about knowing Italian, let's find somewhere less risky."

June 1944

He doesn't know how it happened. The whole area was full of German soldiers. Most of their own men were in a different part of town, dealing with the attack over there. It was only himself, Henry and Cox fending for themselves and each other.

He didn't see the one who shot him or which direction they had been positioned. He only knows he was directing as many civilians out of harm's way before a man he'd been protecting had yelled for him to be careful. He'd intended to shield them with his entire body. Getting the pit of his elbow hit wasn't part of the plan.

However it happened, he was now taking cover in a house that was practically half rubble. He can only come to the conclusion Henry spotted him hiding while grasping his wound. Trust Mr Almost-A-Doctor to get straight to work.

"What the hell happened to your arm?"  
"Bullet."  
"Yes, I can see that, idiot. Looks like it got the brachial." There is pressure surrounding his elbow.  
"Ow." He flinches. "Didn't break my heel."  
"What? No, your brachial artery by your elbow. Listen, never mind that, I just lost sight of Cox but I said I'd cover his ass. I... I've got to tell him I won't be able to do that for a few minutes."  
"Okay."  
"I will be back as soon as I can. Keep pressure on your arm as much as you can. Don't you dare pass out before I can try treat you properly."  
"Sure."

He tries to follow instructions. He really does. What he can't help was time slipping into a separate reality. It is millennia and moments before two hands cup his face.

"You still hanging in there, Theodore?"  
"Mmm."  
Something with significant weight drops down beside him. "Yeah, not doing too great myself."  
"W'bout Cox?"  
"He's fine, as far as I'm aware. He can hold his own while heading back. I was going to carry you back to base but... I'm not in the best condition to do so at the moment. It's fine, we'll get some help soon. The medics can be far better than what some med school drop out like me can do, eh?"

Theodore rests his head against the object beside him. "Y'good."  
"Oh Teddy," He can hear the smile in his big brother's voice. Something drapes across his shoulder, pulling him closer. "As big a softie as you were when we were little."  
"Ma's..."  
"Hey." His face gets smacked a couple times. "That's not very polite to walk off in the middle of a conversation, now is it? And no, Ma's not going to be happy about this. If there was- If I could change that, I would." A thoughtful pause. "How big of an earful do you think Pops is going to give us?"  
"...Hand- Handful."  
"Yes, you're absolutely right. How fast do you think his hands are going go then?" He gives Henry no response other than the hiss he produces when his arm is squeezed. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Teddy, but let me be selfish for a minute. I don't want you to be the direct target of Pops' disapproval for too long, okay?"

Theodore doesn't contribute any more to the conversation. He instead listens to Henry's chattering until it fades out completely. Here, in some war-torn French town, he can sit with his brother's arm around him while his own head rested on Henry's shoulder. The fight could go on without them.


End file.
